Ministry to confirm cause of death

A 66-year-old woman living in Wailoku is suspected to have died from typhoid.

Pasemaca Curusaya had been sick for two weeks before she was admitted into hospital on June 13.

It was a little too late as she passed away only a few hours later.

She was a resident at Ki St, Wailoku — an area which has reported as many as 12 people with suspected typhoid.

While the Health Ministry has yet to confirm that Ms Curusaya died because of typhoid, they are aware of the typhoid transmission event occurring in Wailoku.

"The present typhoid situation or prevalence in Wailoku does not constitute an outbreak but represents an unusual rise in numbers (cluster) in a given locality within Wailoku and the larger Nuffield health area of the Ministry of Health," national adviser communicable disease Dr Mike Kama said.

"There are reports of a typhoid-associated death from the affected locality in Wailoku but no cause of death has been confirmed at this stage."

The Health Ministry said their investigations revealed the rise in typhoid suspected cases in Wailoku was because of a healthy carrier who could have attended the death anniversary gathering that was held at Ki St in April.

Dr Kama said the ministry was doing all it could to raise awareness in the community about typhoid.